Color Analysis: What Colors Look Best On You (for women over 40)

Color Analysis Explained

I know you want to dive right in to figure out your best colors, but humor me for a moment. There is so much information out there about color analysis. Many have conflicting information. You may have already hit the point of confusion. I’d like you to read this post with a different mindset.

Your goal is not to find your season or your color type. Yes, you WILL determine your color type, but that is not the goal. The goal is to find the color palette that beautifully aligns with your coloring and tone… and knowing what colors to avoid. It’s not about a specific color being in one color palette over another. Color analysis is about knowing that a color is right for YOU.

I have color analyzed women who I have typed as Bright & Warm, but I recommended that they not wear the oranges in the warm color palette because they were TOO warm. You are about to learn how you can define the colors that are perfect for YOU. Isn’t that exciting?!

So, let’s jump in…

Color Analysis Over 40

Why am I so specific about the age? As we get older, our coloring changes. Whether we like it or not, we start to lose pigment. Our hair might go grey. Our skin might get cooler or more grey. Even our eyes can soften as we get older. It is not uncommon for a 50 year old woman, who was once a vibrant red head, have white hair.

Your Color Style was created for you, because you may not fit neatly into a color type. Seasonal color analysis doesn’t really help women who have color combinations that are unique to getting older.

Brown skin with white hair

White hair with deep brown eyes

Ashy blonde hair with bright blue-green eyes

The combinations are endless. My goal is to help you know what colors are in perfect harmony with your natural coloring and tone. It doesn’t matter what “season” you were twenty years ago. We are going to learn what colors flatter you NOW. Maybe they’re the same colors as when you were younger, but if that were true, you wouldn’t be searching for your colors right now.

The fact is, we’re getting older. Instead of fighting it, let’s embrace it. Let’s find colors that add vibrancy and youth to you versus making you look overdone, trying-too-hard, washed out or tired. Who needs that?!

Lean into this article and pay close attention — I’m about to reveal the EXACT process we use to professionally color analyze our clients of all skin tones…

Grey hair, silver or white hair

Combinations of dark eyes and light hair

Warm features with cool features

Brown skin

Olive skintone

… just to name a few.

Let’s begin with…

1: Chroma: Are you bright or soft?

One of the most important things to consider when figuring out what colors look best on you is the chroma of a color and the chroma of you. Chroma is the brightness of a color. It is how bright or muted a color is. Your natural brightness or softness will align with the types of color that flatter you best. We are looking for colors that are in harmony with your natural coloring and tone.

The colors on the left are bright. They are clear in chroma. No white, black or other color has been added to it to change it’s properties. When you think of a standard color wheel with the primary and secondary colors, it is likely showing bright colors. Unaltered, pure versions of a color.

The colors on the right are soft. They are the same HUE or color as the color on the left but they’ve been softened. The saturation is less.

Adding black, white, grey or its complement to a color will soften the color. In the example I’m showing here, the color’s complement was added. This is the color directly opposite the color wheel.

Adding black to a color will darken it and therefore, soften it. Adding white to a color will lighten it and also, soften it.

What does chroma have to do with the colors you wear?

As I’ve mentioned before, our goal is to find colors that are in perfect harmony with your natural coloring and tone. If you have very bright features, then a bright color will look great on you. If you have very soft features, then a soft color will be more in harmony with you.

One of the biggest reasons a color may not look good on you is because you may be wearing the wrong chroma of that color.

“I can’t wear red,” a client once told me. “I have a red sweater, but every time I wear it, I look like a fire engine.”

When I asked to see the sweater, I learned that she was wearing the wrong type of red. Her sweater was a pretty bright red. It was almost a pure chroma. It was very bright. My client’s coloring had a lot of softness and she was fair. This bright red was too strong and overpowering on her. She really needed the softer colors.

When we found a soft red top for her, she glowed.

This happens all the time. The brightness or softness of a color is one of the most important things to consider when understanding if it is going to flatter your natural coloring and tone.

Let’s dive in a little deeper…

Bright

You are likely bright if you have bright blue eyes or shiny black hair. You may have white hair or bright coppery red hair. It’s not always obvious if you are bright. Take a look at the examples below and then go through the 6 levels of intensity. This will really help.

Examples of women that wear brighter colors best

Soft

You are likely soft if you have soft hazel eyes or a blend of grey in your hair. A combination of warm features with cool features can soften you. A grey quality to your eyes (blue-grey, green-grey) may also indicate that you wear softer colors best.

Examples of women that wear softer colors best

If you’re still not sure if you are soft or bright, all is not lost. It’s not always easy to figure this out. Understanding your intensity and level of contrast can really help you understand if you should be wearing brighter colors or softer colors.

So, let’s learn if you are Bright or Soft based on your level of intensity…

6 Levels of Intensity

Understanding your level of intensity is the signature concept of Your Color Style™. Your level of intensity drives the types of colors you should wear and HOW to wear your colors to enhance your natural beauty.

Bright Level 6

Bright with extremes. Your eyes have a high intensity. They may be sparkly bright blue or very deep and dark.

Your hair is likely deep and shiny. You may fall into this high level of intensity with bright white or silver hair (not grey) but your eyes or your skin must be deep. If you have silver or white hair with bright light eyes, see Bright Level 4.

As a Bright Level 6, you have a high contrast between your skin, eyes and hair. You may have fair skin with deep hair. Bright light eyes with deep hair. Very deep skin with bright whites of the eyes.

Bright Level 5

Bright with depth. Your eyes have a high intensity. They may be sparkly bright and light or very deep and dark.

Your hair has brightness. It may be deep and shiny, silver, bright red/auburn or medium brown.

The greatest difference between a level 5 and level 6 is the contrast. You fit here if you have medium contrast between your skin, eyes and hair. You don’t have the extremes like the level 6.

Bright Level 4

Bright and light. Your eyes may describe your eyes as “bright and sparkly” or “light and bright”. Your hair has brightness and will likely be light. You have a low contrast between your eyes, skin and hair.

Soft Level 3

Soft with depth. Your hair is typically dark. Your eyes may be medium to dark brown or a soft hazel. Soft hazel may be a mix of browns, golds and blues or maybe grays, greens and blues.

Your hair is likely dark. You may be a Soft Level 3 with blonde hair but your eyes must be darker. You may also fall into this higher level of intensity with salt and pepper hair but your eyes must be darker (not light). If you have salt and pepper hair or blonde hair with lighter eyes, see Soft Level 2.

As a Soft Level 3, you have a medium contrast between your skin, eyes and hair.

Soft Level 2

Soft and neutral. Your eyes are soft. They may be a soft light hazel or soft grey-blue. You may feel that your eyes are a bright, but the colors in Bright Level 5 and 4 feel way too strong.

Your hair is soft and ashy. It may be ashy brown, dirty blonde or a mix of browns and greys.

The greatest difference between a level 2 and level 3 is the depth. Level 3 has darker hair, where as a Level 2 is more “flat” in contrast.

Bright Level 1

Soft and light or soft and grey. Your eyes are light. Your hair is soft and light. You have a low contrast between your eyes, skin and hair. You likely are dominantly grey. If you fall into this category, you should be wearing colors from the BRIGHT color palette. You would consider yourself bright and light. Dark colors will age you and muted colors may drain you.

Which level of intensity are you? Share what you’ve learned in the comments below this post.

2: Undertones: Are you warm, cool or neutral?

Knowing your undertones will help you know what colors to AVOID. Many people believe that if they have warm undertones that they can only wear warm colors. Or, if they have cool undertones, they can only wear cool colors. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This is the bright color wheel. It is the full spectrum of color in the Your Color Style system. There is another one for the soft colors.

All of the colors on the right side of the color wheel are warm colors. These are the colors that someone with warm undertones can wear.

All of the colors on the left side of the color wheel are cool colors. These are the colors that someone with cool undertones can wear.

The colors marked with an asterisk are universal colors. These are the “neutral colors”. They can be worn by either warm or cool individuals.

Warm Undertones

You likely have WARM undertones if you have…

Green eyes

Blue/green eyes

Golden hazel eyes

Golden brown eyes

Golden quality to your skin

Golden highlights

You can wear peach well

Below is an image of eye colors that are typical of a person with warm undertones. Notice the golden quality to them.

Note from Jen: Upon further inspection of the image I created above of warm eyes, I don’t think the far left eye that is second from the bottom is a warm eye. That looks like a cool eye. The whites are super white and the skin has a pink quality to it.

Cool Undertones

You likely have COOL undertones if you have…

Blue eyes with no variation

White, silver or grey hair

Grey in your eyes

A pink quality to your skin

A blue cast to your brown skin

Black eyes

An absence of warmth

Olive toned skin

Golden browns and yellow make you look ill

Below is an image of eye colors that are typical of a person with cool undertones. Notice the lack of warmth in their coloring.

Neutral Undertones

Some people say they are neutral, but I believe that even if you appear neutral you still lean towards warm or cool. It IS possible for a person to wear both sets of warm and cool colors, but typically they will look better in one set over the other.

Olive Skintone

Warm Undertones vs. Olive Undertones

3: Depth: Are you light, medium or deep?

Hopefully, you have been successful with figuring out Steps 1 and 2. You should know if you are bright or soft. And, you should know if you are warm or cool. If not, then try the quiz to see if it helps.

In the Your Color Style system, there are 4 main color palettes (the links below will take you to the digital color palettes):

Each color palette ranges from light to deep. Not all of these colors will look good on you. Some will be OK, some will either wash you out or overpower you, and some will make you glow. Understanding your depth and how that relates to the colors you can wear will make a HUGE difference. Understanding your level of intensity will help too, so make sure you’ve gone through the section 6 Levels of Intensity.

Light

You are light if you have light eyes, hair and skin. Super bright colors and dark colors will overpower you. You may have blonde, white or grey hair. Your eyes are light. Your skin is fair.

Medium

You are medium if you have some depth of color to you. You can tolerate a little darkness in your colors. Too light of colors may wash you out. You may have medium brown/red in your hair… or medium hazel, green or brown eyes… or light/medium brown skin.

Deep

You are deep if you have a dark feature. You may have dark eyes, dark hair and/or dark skin. You will be able to wear dark colors very well. Depending on your level of intensity, you may be able to wear light colors well too. Deep individuals can stick to deeper colors if they are unsure of their chroma (bright or soft).

Your Color Type – Putting It All Together

We don’t do seasonal color analysis here at Your Color Style… but I know that you may still want to know what season you are. The color types listed below are not direct matches to the seasons. In fact, I find the seasonal color palettes are extremely limiting. However, I have listed the best relationship to the seasons for your reference.

Jen Thoden is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, runner & mother-of-the-year (not). She is the international best selling author of “That’s My Color: Discover Your 5 Signature Colors To Transform Your Life“. Her mission is to help women transform into happier versions of themselves by being true and authentic. She is the founder of Your Color Style™, a proprietary color system that makes it easy for women to discover their best colors. Jen is the go-to expert on color, confidence and authenticity. Her expertise has been featured in Inc.com, She Knows and Thrive Global. She lives in Ashburn, VA with her husband and 3 kids.